Samples of gardening mulch and tire crumbs were obtained for laboratory evaluation. One set of experiments tested the leaching potentialof the metals from samples of tire crumb in- fill and one from commercial rubber mulch. The second set of experiments tested the
chemicals releasedfrom the tire crumbs and the commercial rubber mulch. Ten metals were leached from the samples of tire crumbs and tire mulch in the first experiment. Twenty-five chemical species were identified with 72% to 99% certainty in the mass spectrometry and gas chromatography analysis in the second experiment. Nineteen chemicals were identified with over 90% certainty and five at over 98% certainty. Confirmatory studies provide a definitive identification of four of the major chemicals released. Below is an excerpt from the
Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station’s report on their methods.
“To determine if materials of interest are extractable from the crumbs, portions of the crumb rubber were soaked over time in distilled, deionized water at ambient laboratory temperature in capped high density polyethylene (HDPE) jars. Approximately 17 g of crumbs were soaked statically in 50 ml water for seven weeks. After this period the leachate was filtered and 1.5 ml transferred to ALS vials. The same SPME procedure was carried out as described above. A typical TIC trace for the headspace analysis is shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4 should be compared with Figure 3. Although relative amounts of the compounds of interest differ under the two experimental conditions, the same compounds are noted in both Figures. If the SPME fiber is immersed directly into the leachate rather than exposed to the headspace over the leachate and then desorbed in the GC inlet, the same set of compounds as shown in Figure 4 was detected.
We now provide the experimental procedures used to determine if elements are leachable into aqueous solution from the crumbs. In this case 2.0 grams of crumbs were transferred into 40 ml of water in 50 ml centrifuge tubes. The tubes were sealed and agitated on a wrist action shaker at ambient temperature for 18 hours. Following this agitation the tubes were centrifuged for 10 minutes at 3000 rpm and the leachate was analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP/MS, Agilent model 7500ce). In a second regime the
leaching water was acidified to pH 4.2 prior to the 18-hour agitation. This procedure is based on conditions recommended in EPA SW-846 Method 1312.
The laboratory data presented here support the conclusion that under relatively mild
conditions of temperature and leaching solvent, components of crumb rubber produced from tires (i) volatilize into the vapor phase and (ii) are leached into water in contact with the crumbs. We note with interest that when we placed the black crumbs in direct sunlight at an exterior air temperature of 88° F, a thermometer inserted directly into the crumbs registered 55º C (=131° F). Selection of 60° C, therefore, is not beyond a reasonable temperature range accessible under field conditions.”
EHHI began its assessment of the health effects from ground-up rubber tire crumbs by identification of the chemicals released from tire crumbs and gardening mulch under conditions that approximate their uses.
Information available from reliable sources, including published literature, documented research and official reports was reviewed. The potential for release of chemicals under typical conditions of use was determined. Chemicals of concern were identified and the toxic actions listed.
These studies conclusively demonstrate that the tire crumbs and the tire mulch release chemical compounds into the air and ground water. Thus, tire crumbs constitute a chemical exposure for humans and for the environment.
1 Chien, Y. et al. Assessment of Occupational Health Hazards in Scrap-Tire Shredding Facilities.Science of
the Total Environment. 2003:35-46.
<www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=pubmed& uid=12798090&cmd=showdetailview&indexed>
2 International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Summaries and Evaluations. The Rubber
Industry (Group 1) Supplement 7, 1987, p. 332. <http://www.inchem.org/pages/iarc.html>
3 Chien. Op. cit.
4 California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA). Evaluation of Health Effects
of Recycled Waste Tires in Playground and Track Products. January 2007: 8-12. <http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/Publications/Tires/6220613.pdf>
5 Ibid. 6 Id.
7 Norwegian Institute of Public Health and the Radium Hospital. Pitches – An Assessment of the Health
Risks for Football Players.Oslo, Norway. January 2006:13-16, Tables 4-8. 8. Id.
<http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:nOJynNVAhcEJ:www.isss.de/conferences/Dresden% 25202006/Technical/Summary-artificial-turf-health-ISSS-TM-oct-
06.pdf+synthetic+turf,+norwegian,latex&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us>
8 Ibid.
9 Environmental Defense Fund Scorecard. <http://scorecard.org/chemical-profiles>
10Birkholz, Belton, Guidotti. Canadian Study. Toxicological Evaluation of Hazard Assessment of Tire Crumb
for Use on Public Playgrounds.Jour of Air and Waste Mgt Assoc. 2003 53:903-907. <http://www.shercomindustries.com/industries/birkholz-crumb%20safety%20paper.pdf>
11Norwegian Study. Op. cit. 12IARC. Op. cit.
13OEHHA. Op. cit. 14Norwegian Study. Op. cit. 15OEHHA. Op. cit.
16USEPA, Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit. Case Study of Tire Crumb Use on Playgrounds:
Risk Analysis and Communication When Major Chemical Knowledge Gaps Exist. Environmental Health Perspectives. Volume 114, No. 1, January 2006
< http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=133264>
17Birkholz. Op. cit.
18Ibid.
19Norwegian Study. Op. cit. 20OEHHA. Op. cit.
21“The French Study” — Health Evaluation of the Use of Elastometer Granulates as Filling in Third-
Generation Artificial Turf 2007.
<http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/news.html?d=125895>
22Birkholz. Op. cit.
23Norwegian Study. Op. cit.
24Consumer Product Safety Commission. Handbook for Public Playground Safety.Publication No. 325.
<http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/325.pdf>
25Norwegian Study. Op. cit. 26OEHHA. Op. cit.
27Kolitzus, H. Investigation and Assessment of Synthetic Surfaces in Switzerland Including Athletic and Soccer
Facilities.IST Switzerland, October, 2006.
<http://www.isss.de/conferences/Dresden%202006/Technical/HJK%20Schweiz.pdf>
28Chien. Op. cit. 29OEHHA. Op. cit. 30Birkholz. Op. cit.
31“On Playing Fields, Grass Is an Endangered Species.” New York Times, David Gonzales, Reporter,
August 13, 2007.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/13/nyregion/13citywide.html?_r=1&oref=slogin>
“Turf Wars Heat Up: Grass vs. Synthetic.” The Boston Globe, Connie Paige, Globe Correspondent, March 25, 2007.
<http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/03/25/turf_wars_heat_up_grass_vs_synthetic>
32The Hankyoreh Newspaper, South Korea. July 2, 2007. Artificial turf causing skin disease at
nation's schools.
<http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/219645.html>http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/ english_edition/e_national/219645.html >
33Norwegian Study. Op. cit. 34Ibid.
35Tucker, M R. Ground Rubber: Potential Toxicity to Plants. North Carolina Dept. of Agriculture and
Consumer Services. Media Notes for North Carolina Growers. April 1997 <http://www.ncagr.com/agronomi>
<http://www.ncagr.com/agronomi/pdffiles/rubber.pdf>
SUSANS. ADDISS, MPH, MURS.Past Commissioner of Health for the State of Connecticut; Past President of the American Public Health Association; Director of Health Education for Environment and Human Health, Inc.
NANCYO. ALDERMAN, MES. President of Environment and Human Health, Inc.; Recipient of the CT
Bar Association, Environmental Law Section’s, Clyde Fisher Award; and the New England Public Health Association's Robert C. Huestis/ Eric Mood Award for outstanding contributions to public health in the environmental health area.
D. BARRYBOYD, M.D.Oncologist at Greenwich Hospital and Affiliate Member of the Yale Cancer Center. Research areas include environmental risk factors for cancer as well as cancer etiology, including nutrition and the role of insulin and IGF in malignancy. Dr. Boyd is the Founder and Director of Integrative Medicine at Greenwich Hospital – Yale Health System.
RUSSELLL. BRENNEMAN, ESQ.Connecticut Environmental Lawyer; Co-Chair of the Connecticut
League of Conservation; Former Chair of the Connecticut Energy Advisory Board; Past President of the Connecticut Forest and Park Association.
DAVIDR. BROWN, SC.D. Public Health Toxicologist; Past Chief of Environmental Epidemiology and
Occupational Health at the Connecticut Department of Health; Past Deputy Director of The Public Health Practice Group of ATSDR at the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia.
MARKR. CULLEN, M.D. Professor of Medicine and Public Health, Yale University School of Medicine;
Director of Yale’s Occupational and Environmental Medicine Program and co-editor of the Textbook of Clinical Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
ROBERTG. LACAMERA, M.D. Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, Yale University School of Medicine;
Primary Care Pediatrician in New Haven, Connecticut from 1956 to 1996, with a sub-specialty in children with disabilities.
WILLIAMA. SEGRAVES, PH.D. Associate Dean, Yale College; Dean’s Adviser on Science Education;
Research Scientist and Lecturer at Yale University Department of Molecular, Cellular and Develop mental Biology, with areas including molecular biology of hormone action in reproduction and development.
HUGHS. TAYLOR, M.D.Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences and Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology; Chief of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Yale University School of Medicine.
JOHNP. WARGO, PH.D. Professor of Risk Analysis and Environmental Policy at Yale University’s School
of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and Professor of Political Science.